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The Butler

Name: The Butler
Director: Filip Bajon
Released: 2018
Duration: 142 min

Representation Score

5.9/10

Fair

2018

Director

Filip Bajon

Runtime

142 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film stands out through its detailed exploration of ethnic and class identity. By focusing on the Kashubians rather than a broad nationalistic storyline, it offers a nuanced view of identity formation during times of social upheaval. Though the central romance adheres to a traditional structure, the setting allows for a sophisticated examination of power dynamics. However, the film lacks representation for non-straight identities and disabilities.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Butler have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on a heterosexual relationship between Mateusz and Marita. There is no indication of queer subtext or non-straight identities.

How does The Butler portray gender?

Good

The story challenges traditional gender roles by placing a Kashubian boy in a Prussian aristocratic household. Both characters exhibit strong emotional influence, avoiding typical submissive or dominant period romance stereotypes.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Butler?

Good

The film highlights the unique Kashubian ethnic identity, avoiding a monolithic perspective. It examines the ability to act of underrepresented groups during periods of systemic change.

How does The Butler represent religion and culture?

Fair

The narrative portrays the decline of traditional institutions and the Prussian aristocracy due to 20th-century warfare. It critiques aggressive nationalist movements through the Kashubian experience.

Does The Butler include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

Sophisticated depiction of Kashubian ethnic identity and its interaction with Prussian aristocracy.
Avoids a monolithic nationalistic narrative in favor of a layered view of identity.
Challenges traditional gender power dynamics through the emotional influence of the main characters.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit representation for LGBTQ+ identities or queer themes.
No characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Primary romantic arc follows a conventional heterosexual structure.

Official Synopsis

The love between Mateusz Krol, a Kashubian boy, and Marita von Krauss, a Prussian aristocrat in whose family home he is taken in when his mother dies, grows and matures thorough the years, while Kashubia, the northern Polish region where they live, suffers the consequences of the tragedies that will ravage Europe from the beginning of the 20th century until the end of the World War II.

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